the beginning to the end aka: nostalgia
by song-left-unheard
Summary: Short friendship fic for Charlotte/Lizzie. How the video diaries started and ended. Dealing with LBD end feels and feeling nostalgic.


i. the beginning

"So, what's your big idea?" Charlotte asks, fingering a loose thread of the quilt that covers her best friend's bed.

Lizzie Bennet, said best friend, is lying across the bed as well, and a large smile spread across her face. Lizzie had called Charlotte that morning, insisting that she come over ASAP. _"I have a great idea! How soon can you get here?" _she had asked, voice practically exploding from excitement.

"I thought of it yesterday," Lizzie starts, sitting up so that she can look Charlotte in the face. "You know how my mom has been freaking out about that house being bought?"

Charlotte nods. In fact, Mrs. Bennet had greeted her at the door with, "Why, dearest Charlotte! Have you heard about who just bought Netherfield?" and then proceeded to prattle on about it for fifteen minutes, before Lizzie rescued her.

"Well, I was just thinking about how kinda crazy our lives are, a normal type of crazy, but still crazy and I thought maybe we should make some videos…" Lizzie trails off.

"Videos of our life?" Charlotte asks skeptically.

"Dr. Gardiner was saying if we ever thought of a way to work on perfecting out skills from school we should do it. She said maybe she'd even consider it as an extra credit project or something," Lizzie explains, but Charlotte still looks confused.

Lizzie flops back onto her bed, disappointed that this 'best idea ever' isn't getting the response she was looking for.

"I don't know Char, it was just a thought. I think it could be fun," she sighs, full of disappointment.

"Like a vlog?" Charlotte asks hesitantly.

Lizzie has always been the excitable one, full of ideas that rarely work. But Charlotte is practical, and even she has to admit the idea has merit. She's cautious to get Lizzie's hopes too high though.

"I guess," Lizzie replies slowly. "Wait…so you want to do it?"

"We could try it, for a few weeks," Charlotte says, resigned to the fact that she's in too deep now to back out.

Lizzie jumps right off her bed and heads over to the closet. She reaches up to the top shelf and pulls down a camera.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Charlotte says, jumping up too.

"I knew you would say yes," Lizzie says with a sly smile. "I have the camera, ready to go?"

"But we need to plan!" Charlotte insists. "Set up a Youtube account, decide what we're going to talk about, when we'll post videos…we can't just start filming now!"

"I set up an account this morning," Lizzie says with a laugh. "And I think we both know what we're going to talk about…" Lizzie slips into a southern accent, a perfect imitation of her mother. "Why, dearest Charlotte, have you heard about who just bought Netherfield?"

Chalotte laughs too, and takes the camera from her friend.

"Okay, I guess we can film now, if you're really ready."

Lizzie reaches to close the closet and then stops. She pulls out a red shirt with white lettering on it.

"What's that?" Charlotte asks cautiously. Lizzie is staring at it, like it might blow up.

"I forgot about this…" Lizzie says breaking into another big smile. "I think I may have found a good way to start 'The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.'"

Charlotte laughs, "Oh, is that what we're calling it?" she teases. "I think that title might need some work…"

She ducks as a red shirt goes flying at her head.

ii. the end

"You sure about this?" Charlotte asks her best friend, concern etched across face.

They're both lying across the coach in the den, and Charlotte can't help but remember a similar moment almost one year ago.

"Yeah," Lizzie says, accompanied by a sharp nod of her head. "I mean, when did a few weeks turn into a year?" Lizzie laughs, but the sound is bittersweet.

"You're happy we did it right?" Charlotte asks quietly, sitting up slightly.

Lizzie sits up too and stares at the camera that's set up in the corner of the room.

"Yes, but I'm not so sure it matters if I am," Lizzie says. "The videos were -are- so much more than just me and you talking about my mom. It really turned into something amazing, didn't it?"

Charlotte thinks back to a year ago, to an early morning phone call that contained a Lizzie so different from the one who sits next to her now.

"It really did," Charlotte agrees, giving her friend's shoulder a little squeeze. "So, one last video? You ready?"

Lizzie gets up and walks over to the stool in front of the camera. Charlotte turns on the camera and sets up the frame.

"Any t-shirts you want to chuck at me, just for old time's sake?" Charlotte teases, trying to get Lizzie to crack a smile.

It works, Lizzie breaks into a grin that takes over her whole face. After a year behind the camera, recording every part of her best friend's life, Charlotte is used to capturing every moment. This time is no different, she' ready to press record and capture this last moment.


End file.
